Windsor Blue Jays fans welcome World Series berth

The border city, though divided in support for the Tigers and Jays is rallying behind Canada’s MLB team, CTV’s Robert Lothian caught up with some local fans.

For the first time since 1993, Toronto Blue Jays fans in Windsor will be cheering on their team in the Fall Classic.

A day after the team booked their ticket to the World Series, longtime fan Pat Heney travelled to a local sports apparel shop to pick up some new Jays gear.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s taken it this long to get back to it,” Heney said, reflecting on his time as a fan.

Growing up, Heney said the Jays were the only team his family would watch. Before decades of missed opportunities and falling short, he can still recall the team’s last trip to the finals.

“Watching Joe Carter hit the home run to win it all, that was pretty amazing,” Heney told CTV News.

He’s one of many fans in Windsor who are cheering on the Blue Jays ahead of their clash with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite being tied to the City of Toronto, the Jays’ standing as the lone MLB team in Canada makes their fandom spread nationwide.

At Bob Reaume Sports, there was an uptick in fans travelling to the store on Tuesday to ensure they could properly rep the Jays.

“Toronto has been good all the way along. Now this is the next step, and it’s been busy today with people looking for stuff and looking for the stuff they saw on TV [Monday] night,” said store owner Bob Reaume.

In a city as devoted to baseball, though, the team of choice isn’t so cut and dry. Depending on the household you grew up in, Tristan Bouchat believes team allegiance may be with the nearby Detroit Tigers.

“For so long, people grow up Tigers fans, you grow up Jays fans. It’s kind of like a city divide,” said Bouchat, the skipper for the St. Clair Saints’ Men’s Baseball team.

When it comes to the Blue Jays, Bouchat believes their postseason success will be good for the growth of the sport in Canadian communities such as Windsor.

As for how he thinks fans will lean heading into the World Series, Bouchat is confident many will be cheering on Canada’s team.

“So, if you’re not a baseball fan or if you don’t necessarily have a team, if you’re Canadian, you’re going to root for the Blue Jays. They’re Canada’s team,” he said.

While the Blue Jays are not favoured in their next series, for fans like Heney, there’s a sense of optimism. After all, he believes there’s more at stake than just the World Series trophy.

“Even in the current political environment, you know, Canada, US., I mean, that’s a nice little nail to drive home there, that would be pretty nice,” Heney said.

Toronto will begin the series at home when game one goes on Friday.